Silicon Alley vs. Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley may be the place to be for Internet start-ups, but New York is the birthplace of cool, an attribute that comes in handy for launching some tech companies.

“The quintessential thing about New York that makes it different than Silicon Valley is that people here are much more focused on the idea than the technology that is the plumbing for the idea,” said Steven Brill, the founder of Court TV and airport-security-pass firm Verified Identity Pass.

During a panel session focused on digital-media investing in New York, Mr. Brill, a co-founder too of media start-up Journalism Online, called the New York “the best place in the world” to find people who are willing to take a chance. “You have a city with the mentality that is receptive to completely new ideas,” he said.

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